Introduction

Before we start comparing these two policies we have to set out some ground rules.

Both products are marketed by different insurance companies. ProHealth Plus is sold by Manipal Cigna and iHealth Plus is sold by ICICI Lombard. So any meaningful comparison should include a comparison of the product alongside the insurers themselves.

Second, we know that both policies are premium. They offer comprehensive protection, throw in a whole host of benefits and cover a whole host of use cases. So if you are looking for something relatively inexpensive, then both these policies may not cut it.

And finally, any comparison is ultimately futile without considering the use case. Who are you buying this policy for? You, your family, your parents?

That’s something you’ll need to answer before using this guide. So with that introduction out of the way, we can get to comparing the actual policies themselves.


Let’s start with ProHealth Plus. The product comes from Manipal Cigna’s stable:

ManipalCigna Health Insurance Company is a collaborative partnership between Manipal Group and Cigna and together they have over 200 years of expertise in the healthcare business. And while the company has shown some potential recently, it still only corners a small part of the Indian market.

Also, they have a settlement ratio of 90% with more than 8,500+ network hospitals in tow.


iHealth Plus meanwhile comes from ICICI Lombard’s stable:

ICICI Lombard Health Insurance company is a joint venture between India's ICICI Bank and Canada's Fairfax Holdings. They are one of the leading insurance companies with over 270 branches spread across India.

However, with a claim settlement ratio of 85% and a measly network of 7,500+ hospitals, their performance needs significant improvement.

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Insurance Parameters

Recommended
Not Recommended
Network hospitals
8,500+
7,500+
Claim settlement ratio

(avg. of last 3 years)

90%
85%
Co-payment

20%

(if purchased after turning 65)

No

Room rent

Any Room

(Except suite)

Any Room

Disease sub-limit

No

Yes

Pre existing diseases waiting

3 years

2 years

Pre/Post hospitalization

60/180 days

30/60 days

No claim bonus

10% per year

(up to 200%)

10% per year

(up to 50%)

Domiciliary
Ayush treatments
Restoration benefit

100% restoration

(unlimited no. of times

for different illness)

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

Health check-up
Once every year
Once every year
Maternity

Available

(up to ₹25,000 after 4 years)

Available

(up to ₹50,000 after 3 years)

Out Patient Department

Up to ₹2,000

(Annually)

Up to ₹5,000

(Annually)

Day care

Feature Comparison

coPay

Co payment

With a co-payment clause, the insurer will mandate that you pay a part of the bill. So if the bill adds up to Rs. 2,00,000 and the co-payment is set at 20% then you could be asked to pay Rs. 40,000 from the bill. In this case, however, ProHealth Plus requires you to co-pay a part of the bill 20% if you purchase after turning 65 whereas iHealth Plus doesn’t impose a co-payment clause

roomRent

Room rent

If the policy does impose room rent restrictions then the insurer may only let you stay in a room of a certain specification or impose a cap on the total room rent. If you were to breach either criterion then the insurance company may ask you to pay a portion of all the expenses you incurred while staying in the room. In this case, however, ProHealth Plus only lets you pick a room so long as it isn’t a Suite room but you can pick any room you want with iHealth Plus .

diseaseSublimit

Sub limits

Some policies will tell you that they will cover all medical expenses up until the sum insured, but then impose caps on the total costs you can incur while dealing with a very specific list of diseases. We call these caps “Disease Wise Sub Limits.” In this case, ProHealth Plus doesn’t impose a disease wise sub-limit whereas iHealth Plus imposes disease-wise sub-limits on Cataracts.

ped

Waiting periods for pre-existing diseases

If you’re suffering from a lifestyle condition or if you’ve had surgery in the past, or if you’re dealing with an acute or chronic illness at the time of buying the policy, then the insurer may classify this as a pre-existing disease. And they may tell you that they will only cover these illnesses after some time. In this case, ProHealth Plus imposes a waiting period of 3 years on pre-existing diseases while iHealth Plus extends a waiting period of 2 years on existing conditions.

prePost

Pre and post Hospitalization expenses

Most people aren’t hospitalized right off the bat. Instead, they’ll have to go through a whole series of diagnostic tests before hospitalization and take medication post-discharge. These costs are outlined as pre-hospitalization expenses and post-hospitalization expenses respectively. In this case, ProHealth Plus covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 180 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, iHealth Plus covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 after hospitalization, although there may be different sub-limits

ncb

No claim bonus

Some policies will tell you that they will incentivize you for not making a claim in any given year. And they offer such incentives by offering extra cover on top of the existing sum insured. This extra cover is categorized as a no-claim bonus. And in this case, ProHealth Plus offers a no-claim bonus of 10% and iHealth Plus similarly extends a 10% no-claim bonus.

domiciliary

Domiciliary

Imagine you are forced to treat yourself at home because you don’t find a hospital bed, or you have a chronic condition that prevents you from visiting one, then, insurers may choose to cover your treatment even if you’re hospitalized at home. And such costs are collectively categorized as domiciliary treatment costs. In this case, however, ProHealth Plus offers domiciliary cover whereas iHealth Plus doesn’t offer domiciliary protection.

ayush

Ayush treatments

Most policies only cover treatments administered in a registered medical facility. However, on some occasions, you may want to pursue alternative treatments including homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. These treatments are collectively categorized as Ayush treatments. And in this case, ProHealth Plus covers Ayush procedures and iHealth Plus also extends coverage for Ayush treatments.

maternity

Maternity benefits

If you’re hospitalized during childbirth, then you may have to incur significant costs during delivery of your newborn, child care and other related matters during the course of the hospitalization. These costs are collectively termed maternity costs. And in this case, ProHealth Plus offers maternity cover and iHealth Plus offers maternity cover too, although the sub-limits for normal delivery and C-section procedures may be different, including the waiting period.

opd

Out Patient Department (OPD)

Doctor visits and regular consultations aren’t usually covered by health insurance policies. They are categorized as Outpatient consultations (or OPD treatments) and patients have to bear the cost on their own. In this case, however, ProHealth Plus offers OPD coverage, and iHealth Plus also offers OPD coverage, although the sub-limits may be different.

Final Conclusion

After considering all the features on hand and the claim settlement ratio of Manipal Cigna, we believe that ProHealth Plus is a better alternative to iHealth Plus for most use cases that we’ve evaluated so far.

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